The invention relates to a support assembly of a bumper on a component of a passenger motor vehicle as well as a lighting unit for a passenger motor vehicle.
Such support assemblies are sufficiently known from series vehicle construction. The bumper comprises at least one cladding element (bumper cladding) and a corresponding support element which is usually referred to as a base support and is supported on the passenger motor vehicle via the cladding element.
In the assembled state, other construction parts, such as, for example, lighting units are adjacent to the bumper. In the course of the development of modern passenger motor vehicles, a respective join gap between the bumper and the attachment parts has been reduced in order to thereby achieve an attractive design as well as, in particular, advantageous aerodynamics of the passenger motor vehicle.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a support assembly of a bumper on a component of a passenger motor vehicle as well as lighting unit for a passenger motor vehicle by means of which a particularly low and uniform join gap can be achieved.
In order to create a support assembly by means of which a particularly low and uniform join gap can be achieved, it is provided according to the invention that the component on which the bumper or its cladding element is supported by arrangement of the support element is formed as a sealing element which is supported at least indirectly on a lighting unit of the motor vehicle. This means that the bumper is supported via the support element and the sealing element on the lighting unit which, for example, is adjacent to the bumper upwards in the vehicle vertical direction. The join gap, i.e., the distance between the cladding element of the bumper and the lighting element, can hereby be kept particularly low and can be adjusted to a predeterminable, uniform dimension. Particularly good aerodynamics and an optically attractive design of the passenger motor vehicle result from this. Furthermore, the parts number, the weight and the costs can be kept low, as additional structural measures can remain undone due to the support of the bumper on the sealing element of the lighting unit. The sealing element is preferably a so-called aeroseal, which serves to at least partially seal a gap between the bumper and the lighting unit. As a consequence of this sealing, air cannot or can only slightly flow between the bumper and the lighting unit. Therefore, particularly advantageous aerodynamics of the motor vehicle can be achieved. Furthermore, it is advantageous that the join gap and therefore the gap image can be kept uniform during the so-called aging process, in particular of the cladding element which is formed, for example, from a plastic and/or of the support element formed from a plastic as well as during temperature fluctuations.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the sealing element is supported at least indirectly on a housing of the lighting unit. Preferably, it is provided here that the sealing element is fastened to the housing, bypassing a lens of the lighting unit which is fastened to the housing. Therefore, forces or loads introduced from the bumper and in particular from the support element into the sealing element are not introduced into the translucent lens, but, bypassing the lens, into the housing of the lighting unit which is more stable and substantially more robust compared to the lens. Damage to the lens, for example as a consequence of relative movements of the bumper with respect to the lighting unit, can thereby be prevented. In particular, it can be prevented that the bumper rubs on the lens of the lighting unit and thereby causes the occurrence of, in particular, visible scratches of the lens. Additionally, a pressure and/or tensile loading of the lens can be prevented as, for example, loads resulting from temperature fluctuations and thermal strains accompanying this, as well as from the aging process and originating from the bumper can be introduced into the housing via the sealing element, and not into the lens.
For example, a receiving space which is partially limited by the housing is likewise at least partially limited by means of the lens, wherein at least one lighting means to emit light beams is received in the receiving space. The light beams emitted by the lighting means of the lighting unit can penetrate the surroundings of the lighting unit through the lens from the receiving space, in order to therefore illuminate, for example, a road running in the forward driving direction in front of the passenger motor vehicle. The lens can therein be formed as a diffuser lens to diffuse the light beams going through it, such that a uniform distribution of the light beams, and therefore a uniform illumination of the road, occurs.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the sealing element is fastened to the housing by arrangement of at least one support element fastened to the housing, in particular a support bracket. A particular firm support of the sealing element which is formed, for example, from a plastic and in particular from rubber can hereby be achieved on the housing, such that a particularly firm support of the bumper is also able to be achieved via the sealing element and the support element on the housing. Preferably, the support element is formed to be inherently rigid and, for example, from a plastic or from a metallic material in order to therefore support the sealing element particularly firmly on the housing.
It has additionally been shown to be advantageous if the sealing element has at least one receiver in which the support element is at least partially received. Hereby a simple assembly of the support element can be achieved on the sealing element, as the support element can be arranged in a simple manner in the receiver, for example can be inserted into this.
A particularly simple assembly of the support element on the sealing element can be achieved in that the support element has at least one rib protruding in the vehicle longitudinal direction which is arranged at least in regions in the receiver. The rib can be inserted simply into the receiver in the vehicle longitudinal direction, for example downwards for the assembly of the support element on the sealing element. This is also referred to as shoeing of the support element functioning as a base support into the sealing element.
To achieve a particularly low distance and therefore a particularly low join gap between the bumper and the lighting unit, it is provided in a further embodiment of the invention that at least one partial region of the cladding element is covered upwards in the vehicle vertical direction at least by one partial region of the lens of the lighting unit.
A further embodiment is distinguished in that the sealing element is arranged underneath the lens of the lighting unit in the vehicle vertical direction. The sealing element can hereby seal a gap between the lighting unit and the bumper very well. Additionally, the support of the bumper on the sealing element can be achieved via a very large stretch running in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
Finally, it has been shown to be particularly advantageous if the sealing element is set back at least compared to a partial region of the lens in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The lighting unit is, for example, a front headlight, so the sealing element is set back compared to the lens in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Therein the sealing element can be covered at least partially outwardly in the vehicle longitudinal direction and in particular at least predominantly by the support element and/or by the cladding element, and therefore concealed, such that it is not visible. Additionally, a very low distance can therefore be depicted between the bumper and the lighting unit, in particular the lens thereof
A lighting unit for a passenger motor vehicle also belongs to the invention, having a housing, having at least one lens fastened to the housing and having at least one sealing element which is supported at least indirectly on the housing. The sealing element therein has a receiver to support a bumper of the passenger motor vehicle. Advantageous embodiments of the support assembly according to the invention are considered as advantageous embodiments of the lighting unit according to the invention and vice versa. In other words, the lighting unit according to the invention can be used in the support assembly according to the invention in order to support the bumper, in particular the cladding element, by arrangement of the support element. By means of the lighting unit, therefore, only a very short distance, i.e., only a very small join gap, can be achieved between the bumper and the lighting unit itself, such that a particularly good design as well as very good aerodynamics of the passenger motor vehicle are able to be achieved.
Further advantages, features and details of the invention result from the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment as well as by means of the drawings.